Allies, enemies or a bit of both? The complicated lives of British merchants in the China of the 1850s: The case of George Stormont Spreckley

2026/04/29 by Adrian Nicholas Harvey · 1 voice
Business, Management and Accounting · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #American History and Culture #Chinese history and philosophy #Historical Economic and Social Studies

paper · doi:10.1177/08438714261437547

openalex publication_date 2026/04/29 · openalex created_date 2026/05/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/27

Abstract

This article considers the life of a merchant from Liverpool who spent the years from 1851 to 1853 in Shanghai during the Taiping Rebellion. It deals with the complicated relationships between American, British and Chinese officials and merchants. It is concerned with the recreational, mercantile, military and political life in Shanghai during that period.

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